3 Prong Plug wiring

[Stimpson]

I just bought a boat with a Minn Kota bow mounted trolling motor. It has a 3 prong plug that needs to be replaced. The seller gave me a new one with the boat and the colors are yellow, blue, and black. How do I wire these up to the red and black wires going to the foot controller? Black to black and then connect the blue and yellow to red? Thanks.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

Is this a 12V trolling motor? 24V trolling motor?<br />Need to know. The "new" plug should have no wires coming from it, should just be the plug itself.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

If you only have two wires from the trolling motor you only need two wires between the battery (ies) and the plug. Doesn't make any difference if its 12 OR 24V. If the motor is a 12 AND 24V there will be three wires coming from it. You just need to match the two wires on the socket to the two wires on the plug. The third wire won't be used and it doesn't matter which colors you use. Electricity doesn't care but typically red is hot, black is ground.

 

[Stimpson]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

Sorry, not sure if its 12 or 24v. The 3 prong male end of the connector is attached in a small console in the front of the boat. What I need to replace is the female end of the connection that will attach to the foot controller. The plug I have has two pins at the top and one at the bottom. The corresponding plug I have has a black wire at the bottom and the two top wires are blue and yellow. Upinsmoke, you're saying I just need to connect the black plug wire to the black trolling motor wire and then either the blue or yellow plug wire to the red trolling motor wire? Thanks for your help.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

Nope! And now you have me confused. Is this a Power Drive motor or a cable steer sissor mount?.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

Forgot to ask -- do you have one battery or two for the trolling motor? If you have two, are they wired in series or parallel? If in series you have a 24V motor. If in parallel or you are using a single battery its 12V. Sorry to ask so many questions but when it comes to electrics, there is rarely a simple answer -- and remember that we can't see your boat. From your description I can't figure out which connector we are trying to replace.

 

[Stimpson]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

Just one battery for the trolling motor. Also it must be a cable steer as the foot controller will move the motor without any power. <br /><br />After digging around last night it appears that the seller may have given me a 24v plug and I have a 12v motor. I think I need to buy a new plug.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

No, the 3 prong will work,if you have a 3 prong outlet in your panel, you just use 2 wires/2prongs, a red for hot and black for the ground and the other will be empty.<br />If you don't know which is which, unplug the cable from the front panel and take a volt meter to find the hot wire and wire the plug up the same way. The red would go to that one. Make sure it is a + reading and not a - reading.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 3 Prong Plug wiring

OK -- SBN is correct. If the plug you have mates ok with the socket in the boat go ahead and use it. You will only use two of the three pins. Determine which two pins on the socket come from the battery, and then match the two pins on the new plug with the wires going to the troller. Just make sure the two you pick match polarity (negative on the plug must match with negative on the socket, positive on the plug to positive on the socket.) No mystery here.